Each spring, thousands of government officials, the private sector, journalists, academia, civil society representatives, and other interested observers gather in Washington, D.C. for the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group. At the heart of the gathering are meetings of the IMF’s International Monetary and Financial Committee and the joint World Bank Group-IMF Development Committee, which discuss progress on the work of the IMF and the World Bank Group.
World Bank – Mega-bank that loans money to governments, often dictatorships. Builds projects with serious side effects for the environment, indigenous people, and democracy. Makes the people of a country foot the bill while corporations profit. The second-largest funder of coal-fired power plants. The Bank promotes destructive river and dam projects, harmful farming methods, and other polluting projects.
IMF – Loan shark of the world. Lends money when countries are in crisis, then keeps countries on a short leash of unpayable debt. International Monetary Fund loans require countries to weaken environmental protections, trash worker rights, shred the social safety net, dismantle democratic structures, sell natural resources to corporations, and poison our common future.
Location: The Peace House
March 14th, 2014
Time: 7 to 9 pm EST